Let's talk about your living situation: Right now, you may have a cute, but small, apartment in the middle of the city or in your hometown. In your room, there are a bunch of succulents on the windowsills and neon signs that hang above your bed and say things like, "It was all a dream." You have a fridge full of your favorite snacks, like apples and peanut butter, and containers of a yummy meal that you prepped over the weekend. You also have roommates, who you love so much, but who bring some beautiful chaos into your life, too. Yes, you've gotten to know the struggles of having roommates when you want to live solo very well. Shall I go on?
Truth is, you were so excited to move out on your own, and still love having an apartment with your best friends. But, it's not quite what you imagined living with roommates would be like. It's likely not like an episode of Friends or New Girl, where laugh tracks play when you see a pile of dirty dishes, or somebody is eating pasta with their cat (Any Winston fans out there?) Nobody is playing the guitar during a blackout, either.
You are making a bunch of your own memories, though, and you're learning how to be patient, respectful, and kind. You're also facing these seven struggles that'll make you absolutely love living solo one day.
First things first: One of the biggest struggles of having roommates is learning how to share your space. The living room is for everyone to use, and somebody is bound to take your seat on the couch sometimes. Around dinnertime, everyone needs to use the kitchen to cook their various meals, and you have to learn how to split up the counter space, too.
At first, this can be frustrating. You're making pasta with veggies and need to use the cutting boards, or one of your roommates is using the oven for the next hour. Ugh! It would be so much easier if you lived alone. (Then, you wouldn't have to worry about fitting your snacks in the fridge, either, because it would be all yours.)
Next, watching television isn't so easy when you have roommates. Like the kitchen, it's something that everybody shares — and sometimes that means not getting to watch your shows when they're on.
Sure, together, you like to tune into Game of Thrones or are catching up on the latest episodes of Queer Eye. But, you also have shows that you keep up with, that nobody else does. When they're on, you often have to settle for a smaller screen, like your laptop or another portable device, or send a text in the group chat that says, "Dibs!" The struggle can be real.
Being a millennial means you might not have a traditional office job. Instead, you may log into your workspace at home and complete assignments and projects via your personal computer. You communicate with your boss through email, and plan out your days with apps that are perfect for adulting, like Slack or Google Tasks. (What would you do without those, huh?)
But, as much as you love your work and "alternative" career path, it gets difficult when you have roommates. Throughout the day, you can never seem to find a quiet place to get down to business, and find yourself working in coffee shops instead.
One day, you hope to live solo, dedicate a room to your passions, and create your ideal work environment. Fingers crossed!
Imagine this: It's a Sunday morning and you're relaxing in bed. You have a very busy week ahead of you, so you're letting yourself be lazy for an extra hour or two. You're snuggled up in your blankets, listening to John Mayer's latest single or chill, alternative beats. From the other room, though, you can hear your roommate blasting country music and singing at the top of her lungs.
You love them, but there are times like this when you just want to listen to your own music — without headphones. You want to create your own atmosphere and control the energy in a room. Living solo would help with that!
Sharing a living space is also such a struggle when you want to have your significant other over. That's because you can't tell your roommates, "Hey, can you disappear for a few hours," but you also want some private time to be with the person you're falling for.
Now, maybe this person is somebody you just started talking to, or someone who's been in your life for a while now. Either way, you want to have uninterrupted time together. You want to cook dinner and have meaningful conversation over bowls of pasta, or tell jokes without worrying about waking up your roommate.
You've learned that being respectful and understanding is really the key. But one day, you know it won't be an issue because you'll be living solo.
Your roommates may be some of your best friends. They're the Monica to your Rachel from Friends, and the people who may have been in your life since day one. They understand your love for chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, and don't question your habits.
But, since they know you so well, they also know exactly what to say on the weekends, when you say "no" to plans. They know that if they find you the perfect outfit, you'll go to happy hour, and that your FOMO will set in after a while. It's sometimes frustrating, because you'd love to stay in on a Saturday and do, well, nothing with no one!
Those days will come. Pinky promise. So, enjoy the memories now and stand up for yourself if you need to.
Last but not least, having roommates can be a struggle when you just want some "me" time. Living with other people just means that you rarely have time alone. It's inevitable, and something that truly makes you wish you had your own apartment.
You can picture yourself using that time and space to dig into your passion projects, or try yoga for the first time. You'd enjoy having that bit of peace and quiet on sunny afternoons, and being able to turn your phone completely off.
The truth is, you could probably talk to your roommates and find that time and space now. But, you love them too much to not hang out with them on the reg. In that way, it's a beautiful struggle to have, you know?
